BackgroundAlert

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BackgroundAlert

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BackgroundAlert Reviews Summary

BackgroundAlert has 58 customer reviews and ranks 56th in the Background Check category. Common review topics include credit card, information, premium report.

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Ohio
1 review
1 helpful vote
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Life lock
November 18, 2022

My Lifelock alerted me that BackgroundAlert.com was selling my info in the dark web. I have never used them. LifeLock to me to the remove page and they want me to upload a drivers License. I would not. Be afraid of this network

Date of experience: October 18, 2022
California
1 review
2 helpful votes
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Waste of Money
April 16, 2018

They told me I could get all the info I needed for 22.95 for 1 month.
All they told me for that was, there wasnt any marriage records for her. I know she has been married more than 2 times!

Date of experience: April 15, 2018
Arkansas
1 review
2 helpful votes
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PLEASE, Do No use "BackgroundAlert" site.
June 20, 2017

Signed up for services on 06/16/17@ aprx 1:12p - cancelled@ 3:43p. Same day. Horribly misleading business! I signed up for the $59.70 package because it stated $9.95 p/m, thinking I would be charged $9.95 monthly, and you can cancel any time. So I thought if I wasn't happy I'd only be out $9.95!. Oh so WRONG!. They took out the entire $59.70 upon sign up! What I got from this site was basically family names, outdated addresses, old phone numbers. I know this because this family still lives down the street from me and at one time across the street from me for the past 2 years. That street address is no where seen in the report on anyone from this CLAN, plus I already knew family names or else how would I have been able to look them up to start with! A guy named Drew at their 800 number said he'd take off $36.75 still charging me $22.95! WHAT, I never even used their so called premium report. I am now waiting for a supervisor to call me back. Listen, I am willing to leave $9.95 for a one month charge (per their site advertisement) for 2 1/2 hrs of usage, but $22.95 is THEFT in my book. Everyone who has been RIPPED OFF by this site needs to call your local Better Bus. Bureau and file a report, also file a report thru your Atty General's Office thru the State you live in, they do follow ups on your filings. By the way, when I told Drew I was filing a dispute thru my Bank he said, "well then I'm not refunding any money to your account! I wonder, is this site really in the US? Well so here's how I look at it, to "Fight Back is to Get Back" at these RIP OFFsites and SHUT THEM down! Let's not let them get any richer from the sweat off our backs! I for one will be fighting back, it's just the right thing do. After all, if they were a honest business site they would do the right thing and refund according to your usage and time you spent searching for the answers you already had before joining this so called site. I think $9.95 is plenty of money for NOTHING. I should bill them for my spending of 2 1/2 hrs on my PC looking for information I already had and what I didn't have most likely could have found at my local library or County Offices for free. Never again. Thank you for letting me tell my story. I hope this will help others. Respectfully, Dianna.

Date of experience: June 20, 2017
Washington
1 review
4 helpful votes
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INACCURATE
May 16, 2017

The only thing they supplied me was the name, age, & birthday, & some old addresses. They said the person had a clean criminal background and yet I bailed them out of jail this past year! She still has another criminal charge against her that has not gone to court yet!
The WORST - A WASTE OF MONEY!

Date of experience: May 16, 2017

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California
14 reviews
15 helpful votes
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THE WORST
May 7, 2017

I agree with all the other reviewers it's a waste of time and money zero information and most of it is not current or even correct. They only refund some of your money you pay to get scammed by this company.

Date of experience: May 7, 2017
Oregon
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
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Absolutely terrible...
April 17, 2017

Want a one-time payment to see a single report (probably yourself)? That's the option I clicked but found I was getting recurring charges monthly.

No emails from the site aside from my initial purchase, your dashboard when you log in doesn't say anything about your subscriptions (just lists the report[s] you've pulled), and you cancel via this *tiny* little option at the very bottom of the page).

So if you need to use their service, know that you'll need to immediately "cancel" through that link unless you want ninja-charges on your account.

Date of experience: April 17, 2017
Florida
1 review
6 helpful votes
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Scoundrels! Thieves of people's private information!
March 28, 2017

Scroundrels!
I just called BackgroundAlert.com to opt out from having private information available to the public and they told me "No. Anyone will be able to access your personal, sealed records. Sorry" They are damaging my reputation and they won't bring down MY sensitive, classified information!

Date of experience: March 28, 2017
Texas
1 review
6 helpful votes
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Scammers
March 28, 2017

Some months ago I paid $1.00 for very limited information and it appears that when you subscribe to the $1 they then sign you up as a member. My card was charged $29,99 and I disputed this and demanded a full refund. I told them if them if they did not retract this charge that I would call my Visa card and have them dispute the charge which they did. This company is useless and scammers

Date of experience: March 28, 2017
New York
4 reviews
4 helpful votes
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Buyer Beware
March 10, 2017

I didn't find these reviews when I first went looking. Paid my fee and was surprised to be hit with an upsell to get 'everything' for another $20.00. What the hell... I cancelled immediately.

This is what you DON'T get with your first payment.
Date of experience: March 10, 2017
Illinois
1 review
3 helpful votes
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You are common thieves!
February 27, 2017

I did not sign up for any monthly program from you please stop taking money from my account.

Robert Beckley

Date of experience: February 26, 2017
Virginia
1 review
3 helpful votes
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FRAUD - Backgroundalert
February 22, 2017

WHAT A SCAM Why isn't the better business doing anything about this? I signed up to get a copy of divorce papers from 2007. Not only were the divorce papers not found the marriage certificate was not found either. I then searched for my own public records and found nothing. When I saw a charge of $59.00 I was furious. RIPOFF.

Date of experience: February 22, 2017
Nevada
3 reviews
6 helpful votes
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Filthy Criminal Scum
February 20, 2017

Forget that the information they supply is inaccurate, incomplete, and outdated The bulk of revenue this business takes in is literally STOLEN. As it comes from recurring transfers that the customer is unaware of and would never agree to. Their offer page goes way out of it's way to hide their true intentions and convince consumers it is exactly what it says it is. ONE Flat Payment For ONE Month, 3 Months, or 6 Months. Really simple right? None of that membership or free trial bullcrap! They should all offer this type of deal. Or so I thought.
When I get the confirmation email, it lists the transaction as recurring. WTF?
So I called customer service Why is this listed as recurring? I only needed the service for a few days. I did not and will not authorize recurring payments. I authorize ONLY the one payment already made.
I made it perfectly clear exactly what I did and did not wish to purchase.
Now im going over accounts for tax time and see that they went ahead and made recurring transfers anyway. 7 of them. I demanded they return my money and they reply «oh so SORRY you weren't PROPERLY ADVISED of our trial membership...» They are not in the least bit sorry, they actually COUNT on customers NOT being advised. Everything about their offerings of plans page is intentionally designed to hide this fact and they have every intention from the start to rip off as many people for as much as possible.
They have the nerve to say they are doing me a courtesy to return 3 of the 5 months stolen. They figure they stole it fair and square.
But they are wrong. NOthing is square, not even under scum bag scammer standards. Because I DID notice the «recurring transfer» in the confirmation email. Because I DID catch their scam before the second transfer was made. And I DID call them and UN-AUTHORIZE any future payments.
But they did it anyway. That puts them beneath the average variety of scum bag scammers.
What is BBB thinking accrediting this business? How on Earth can they give them an A+ rating? And Where did they find the 3 and a half stars from reviews that are 100% negative experience?

Date of experience: February 20, 2017
Michigan
1 review
4 helpful votes
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BackgroundAlert is a scam- Bait and switch
February 14, 2017

Purchased the one month and when I went in my information was incorrect including my marital status and then it wanted another 19.99 from for the the "premier" information. Called the bank and stopped my purchase and complaoned to the service. The customer service woman told me I needed to contact someone to correct my information and it was not their fault. I told her I was cancelling.

Date of experience: February 13, 2017
Massachusetts
1 review
3 helpful votes
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It Sucks
February 8, 2017

These people rip people off. When I called, they knew why off the rip and canceled my account immediately. They know full well they are ripping people off. I dont know how to sue them but maybe someone else out there does and I can be a part of it. I know I wont get $#*! but stopping these $#*!s from ripping off people is enough for me.

I complained and $#*!ed to my cc company. They reimbursed me for all the services this scam tried to take from me. I HIGHLY suggest you fight them and do the same until they change their ways. I got my refund. You should too.

Date of experience: February 7, 2017
Arizona
1 review
3 helpful votes
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Total Ripoff.
February 5, 2017

You get minimal information, and it is very superficial. Then they want to charge you again to get their Premium report. Waste of money. Go elsewhere.

Date of experience: February 5, 2017
New York
1 review
2 helpful votes
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SCAM RIP OFF STAY AWAY!
January 20, 2017

THIS IS A SCAM-- YOU GET THE SAME INFORMATION FOR FREE! WHAT BS SO PISSED! YOU PAY FOR NOTHING--DO NOT GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION!

Date of experience: January 20, 2017
Minnesota
4 reviews
13 helpful votes
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This is a fraud
January 17, 2017

Wasted money. Information is incomplete - I was looking for my own info - needed a date, and it does not have any records aside from the name change: no marriage and divorce dates, no addresses, etc.

Date of experience: January 17, 2017
Florida
1 review
7 helpful votes
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Innaccurateandinsufficientandirresponsible
November 16, 2016

Title says it all... don't waste your time, money or energy - everything is half-**sed and wrong... just search engine and find out the same information for free, instead of this sca-!

Date of experience: November 16, 2016
California
1 review
12 helpful votes
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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!
October 22, 2016

They are a terrible company that charges you $22.95 when you don't know it. They make it look like one-time purchase and then they take your personal information and use it to their benefit and charge your credit card without you knowing it. They are very unscrupulous and dishonest. They make their money by charging your card before you realize it and then when you cancel they won't refund you because you didn't read the fine print.

Date of experience: October 22, 2016
Arkansas
1 review
5 helpful votes
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Worthless
October 13, 2016

You can fish around on your own and find more. Marriages I was in didn't even show up. Again, worthless.

Date of experience: October 13, 2016